Vietnam
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Since 1997, possession or smuggling at least 100g or...
- News items in the archive
- 786
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Vietnam is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 786 news items on Vietnam, from 1999 to today.
In Vietnam the number of executions is treated as a state secret. Figures emerge intermittently, often from internal documents. Capital punishment concerns above all drug offences and serious economic crimes, and since 2011 the method has been lethal injection, which replaced shooting.
The archive gathers the known sentences, individual cases and the rare official information.
Latest news
- JANUARY 1, 2008VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Vietnam applies the death penalty for 29 different crimes.
Vietnam applies the death penalty for 29 different crimes.
- DECEMBER 27, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
a court in Vietnam handed down eight death sentences...
a court in Vietnam handed down eight death sentences...
- DECEMBER 18, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Viet Nam abstained on the Resolution...
Viet Nam abstained on the Resolution...
DECEMBER 14, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. EIGHT SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING
a Vietnamese court sentenced eight people to death for smuggling heroin, raising
NOVEMBER 30, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a court in the central Vietnamese province of Nghe An
NOVEMBER 29, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. 11 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING
a Vietnamese court sentenced 11 people to death in a major drug trafficking case, state media reported
- NOVEMBER 27, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
a court in Vietnam sentenced a 50 year old local man to death and sent two others to prison...
a court in Vietnam sentenced a 50 year old local man to death and sent two others to prison...
- NOVEMBER 21, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR AUSTRALIAN
the People's Court of Appeals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, reaffirmed the death sentence for Tony Manh, 40, after hearing no new evidence for a reduction in his sentence, a court official told the Associated Press.
- NOVEMBER 9, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. THREE WOMEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRAFFICKING HEROIN
a Vietnamese court sentenced three women to death and two other people to life
NOVEMBER 1, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM CONSIDERS REDUCING DEATH SENTENCES
Vietnam is considering the possibility of reducing the number of economic offences, excluding corruption
- OCTOBER 31, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAMESE MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
VIETNAMESE MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
- SEPTEMBER 18, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: AUSTRALIAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN VIETNAM
a Vietnamese court handed the death penalty to an Australian man it found guilty of trafficking almost one kilogram of heroin.
- SEPTEMBER 14, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. 3 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a Vietnamese court gave death sentences to three Vietnamese
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. 6 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING
a court in northern Vietnam sentenced six men to death and two others to life imprisonment
- AUGUST 31, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Nguyen Thanh Hai was granted compensation of approximately...
Nguyen Thanh Hai was granted compensation of approximately...
- JUNE 14, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCES UPHELD ON SEVEN FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING, PRODUCING
the People's Supreme Court in Son La, Vietnam, upheld death sentences for seven defendants on the charges of producing, trading and transporting large volumes of drugs.
- JUNE 4, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. 2 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING
A court in northern Vietnam sentenced two people to death and seven others to life in prison for heroin trafficking.
- MAY 28, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. FOUR RECEIVE DEATH SENTENCES FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a Ho Chi Minh City court in Vietnam sentenced four drug traffickers, including a woman, to death for leading a ring trading in over 10,000 ecstasy pills, 700g of methamphetamine, 600g of heroin and 600g of ketamin in 2003-2005.
MAY 21, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. HO CHI MINH CITY COURT UPHOLDS DEATH FOR FIVE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
a court in Ho Chi Minh City Monday rejected appeals against death sentences
- APRIL 6, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BRITISH CITIZEN
a Vietnam appeals court upheld the death sentence imposed on a British citizen of Vietnamese origin who was convicted of heroin trafficking, state-controlled media reported.
- FEBRUARY 7, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM . THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a Vietnamese court sentenced three people to death and jailed 52 others for running a huge heroin
- FEBRUARY 6, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. FEMALE LAND AGENT GETS DEATH SENTENCE
a female land agent was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City for bribery, cover-up and trickery. The
- JANUARY 29, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM SENTENCES 8 DRUG TRAFFICKERS, PRODUCERS TO DEATH
a Vietnamese court handed down eight death sentences and 13 life imprisonment on local people on drugs charges. The People's Court of northern Son La province passed the death sentences on Trinh Nguyen
- JANUARY 22, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
NEW MOM ESCAPES DEATH PENALTY IN VIETNAM
the People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City handed death penalties for five leaders of a large drug gang.
- JANUARY 1, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Vietnam applies the death penalty for 29 different crimes.
Vietnam applies the death penalty for 29 different crimes.
- DECEMBER 26, 2006VietnamDEATH PENALTY
THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN VIETNAM FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a court in northern Vietnam sentenced three people to death for drug trafficking, with a police officer getting a life sentence.
- DECEMBER 26, 2006VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
the People's Court of Hanoi, Vietnam, sentenced two men to death, and passed life sentences on two others and jail terms of between one year and 30 years on six more for trafficking and transporting drugs.
- DECEMBER 15, 2006VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM CONDEMNS SIXHEROIN TRAFFICKERS TO DEATH
a court in Hanoi, Vietnam...
- NOVEMBER 25, 2006United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM SENTENCES FOUR INCLUDING BRITISH CITIZEN TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a Vietnamese court sentenced to death four people, including a British citizen of Vietnamese origin, after convicting them of drug trafficking.
- NOVEMBER 17, 2006VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. AUSTRALIAN CONVICTED OF SMUGGLING SPARED DEATH PENALTY
Trinh Huu, an Australian national convicted of drug smuggling, was spared death by firing squad when the Vietnamese government granted him clemency.